Razor honing and stropping mechanism



May 24, 1949. c. ROMANO x-:TAL

RAZOR HONING AND STROPPING- MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 20, 1946 niv. 5 .i

. 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 NVENTOR. FPEDERvcfk scm/np BY c' HA Quia ROMANO C. ROMANO ET AL RAZOR HONING AND STROPPING MECHANISM May Z4, 1949.

Filed Nov. 20, 1946 May 24, 1949. c. ROMANO ETAL RAZOR HONING AND STROPPING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 lll Fild Nov. 20, 1946 INVENTOR.

Fnavamcv: 'cHr/no BY caravanas ROMANO May Z4, 1949. c. ROMANO ET Al.

RAZOR HONING AND STROPPING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FiledNOv. 20, 1946 if mw @mr @WM5 fr l I May 24, 1949. ROMANO ETAL RAZOR wHONING AND lSTROPPING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 20, A1946 IN VEN TOR.

FREUEQKLK SCHNHD BY CHHRLES ROMHNO Patented May 24, 1.949

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE Charles Romano and Frederick Schmid, Philadelphia, Pa.

applicati@ Nvemter' 2o, 194e, serial No. 711,160 claims. (CL 51-65) This invention r'elates to an apparatus for sharpening razor blades and more particularly to improvements in the construction and operation of a razor blade sharpening mechanism of the general type shown and described in United States Letters Patent No. 2,166,773, granted July 18, 1939, to Frederick Schmid.

In addition to all of the objects set forth for the apparatus of the aforesaid Patent No. 2,166,773, it is among the objects of the present invention to provide means for strapping the razor blade, said means being so readily interchangeable with the honing means as to facilitate not only honing but also stropping of the blade without necessitating removal of the latter from the apparatus.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a razor-sharpening apparatus which is instantly convertible from a honing apparatus having the general operating characteristics of the honer disclosed in the Schmid patent aforesaid into a stropping apparatushaving the same general operating characteristics, the same operating mechanisms being employed for presenting the blade edge in contact with the stroppi'ng surface or with the honing surface duri-ng reciproeation of either surface relatively to the pivotal axis of the blade.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter, it' being understood that the presentin-vention consists 4substantially in the combination, construction, location and relative arrangement ofparts, all as will appear more fully hereinafter, as shown inthe accompanying drawings, and as nally pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the said drawings,v which illustrate a preferredconstruction of the apparatus:

Figure 1 is a perspective View showing the apparatus housed within a suitable casing;

Figure 2 is an Aexploded View showing in transverse section the several essential operating mechanisms of the apparatus;

Figure 3 is a plan view of thesegmental gear plate taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4- is a plan View of the assembly taken on the line 4 4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2;l

Figure 6 is a plan View of the apparatus as constructed in accordance with and embodying the principles oi the present invention showing the hone-rat the end of its operatii-igy stroke in one direction- Figure 7 iS' a'- View similar to- Figure 6 showing 2 the honer at the commencement of its return stroke;

Figure 8 is still another view similar to Figure 6 showing a further position of the honer 'on its return stroke;

Figure 9 is a longitudinal view taken along the line 9--9 of Figure 6;

Figure 10 is a corresponding sectional View taken along the line lil-l0 of Figure 8;

Figure 11 is a plan view showing the honer at the end of its return stroke;

Figures 12 and 13 are plan views showing the relation of the parts when the honer is shifted in the original direction shift shown in Figure 6;

Figures 14, 15 and 16 are longitudinal sectional views, respectively, of the parts as shown in Figures 11,12 and 13;

Figure 17 is a transversev sectional view taken on the line II-I 'l of Figure 6;

Figures 18 and 19 are general views illustrating the relationship of the blade to the honing and stropping surfaces, respectively, oi the apparatus;

Figure 20 is a plan View of the apparatus showing the same `converted for use as a stropper;

Figures 21 and 22 are plan views showing the stropper in respectively different positions of shift;

Figures 23 and 24 are partial longitudinal` sectional views of the parts, respectively, as shown in Figures 21- and 22; l

Figure 25 is a partial sectional View showing the relative position of the blade and Stropp'er in correspondence with Figure 20; and Y Figure 26 is a transverse sectional View taken ori-the line 26-26 of Figure 20'.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1 to 5 thereof, it will be observed that the apparatus of the present invention is adapted to be housed in any suitable case or container therefor, which in the arrangement shown, may consist of a box-like casing Iii having a rigid base i i, rigid longitudinally extending side walls l2 and I3, ranged end walls |4-f4' and a hinged top cover I5, the latter being provided with an end flap I6 which is adapted to be folded over the external surface of the sidewall I3 for securement thereto by a suitable snap fastener, elements n-ls. The end walls :af--m f the casing may be provided with flaps I9 adapted to underlie the cover I5 when the latter is closed.

The end wall I2v is provide'dalong its upper edge with an inturned longitudinally extending ange 2G, which serves as the upper longitudinal support fora vertically disposed plate 2'I (see Figures 2, 17 and 26) this plate being in' spaced 3 parallel relation with respect to the side wall |2 to provide a recess 22 therebetween.

Disposed within this recess 22 and journalled between the walls |2 and 2| thereof is a gear 23, this gear being in mesh with a pinion gear 24 also disposed Within the recess and journalled between the walls thereof. The pinion gear 24 is disposed vertically above the main gear 23 and is fitted with a bearing pin or shaft 25 having a splined extension 23 of reduced diameter. The opposite wall i3 is provided with an axially adjustable bearing pin 21 also having a bearing extension 28 of reduced diameter. The bearing pins 25 and 21 are in axial alinement, their terminal extensions being adapted respectively to engage and support therebetween the blade to be sharpened, this blade being designated in the drawings by the reference character A. One end of the blade is socketed to nonrotatably receive the splined terminal end of the bearing pin 25, while its opposite end is socketed to rotatably receive the coaxial terminal end 23 of the bearing pin 21. This latter pin, being axially adjustable, may be brought into and out of engagement with the blade to facilitate its mounting between the axially spaced bearing pins 25 and 21. The bearing pin 23 being secured to the pinion gear 24 for rotation therewith, it will be apparent that upon oscillation of the pinion gear 2li, the blade supported between the bearing pins will be correspondingly oscillated about the common axis of the bearing pin.

Pivotally mounted upon the base I l of the apparatus is a segmental gear plate 23, as shown most clearly in plan in Figure 3, this plate being provided with a pivotal bearing 33, the opposite ends of which are respectively journalled as at 3| in the bottom plate and at 32 in a horizontally disposed.- elevated plate 33 suitably secured to the base plate by means of spacers 34 xed to the base plate and adapted to receive the screws 35 for securing the elevated plate rmly in position.

The segmental gear plate 29 is provided at its free edge with a toothed rack 33 of arcuate form, the teeth of the rack 35 being in mesh with the gear 23. The toothed rack 33 is of generally oircular form having as its geometrical center the bearing pin 30 so that as the segmental gear plate 29 is oscillated in the horizontal plane of its main body, the gear 23 will be rotated in one direction or the other in accordance with the direction of shift of the plate 29, and will in turn impart rotation to the pinion gear 24, the direction of rotation of the latter being likewise determined by the direction of shift of the segmental gear plate 29. As most clearly appears in Figure 3, the segmental gear plate is provided immediately adjacent its bearing pin 3i] with an arcuate slot 31 and with a pair of vertically extending spaced pins 38 located in more or less close proximity to the toothed rack 36.

Also pivoted between the bottom plate and and the vertically spaced plate 33 is a pivot pin 3S having fixed thereto a radially extending flexible beam 4B. The pivot pin 39 projects freely through the arcuate slot 31 of the segmental gear plate 29, while the beam 43 is disposed iinmediately above said plate with its free outer extremity disposed between the spaced pins 38 of the plate, the general assembly being such that as the bearing pin 39 is rotated in one direction or the other, its radially extending beam resiliently engages one or the other of the pins 38 to correspondingly shift the segmental gear plate ,4 29 in the horizontal plane of its main body, there-I by imparting corresponding rotation of the gears 23 and 24.

For effecting oscillation of the bearing pin 39 about its vertical axis, said pin is provided with a vertically extending stem 4l, which is keyed or otherwise xedly secured to the center of a transversely extending actuating bar 42 disposed above the plate 33. This bar is preferably provided at opposite extremities thereof with roller elements 43-43, suitably journalled upon pins fi- 44 respectively threaded into opposite ends of the actuating bar 42. In order to maintain this actuating bar 42 in its normal position extending transversely across the plate 33 and in line with the transversely extending axis about which the blade A is supported between the opposed bearing pins 23 and 28, relatively light spring elements 45 and 4S are so secured to the plate 33 that their free extremities engage opposite side edges of the actuating bar 42 to maintain it in its normal centered position. While these springs 45 and 46 exert balanced pressures against either side of the bar 42, the pressures exerted by these springs are respectively of such order as to permit the arm to be swung about its central pvot pin 39 in one direction or the other upon the application thereto of a suitable force. It will be apparent that inasmuch as the actuating bar 42 and the flexible beam 4t are both fixed to the same bearing pin 39, oscillation of the bar 42 will result in corresponding oscillation of the beam 4i?. In consequence of which, upon oscillation of the bar 42 corresponding oscillation of the segmental gear plate 29 is eected through the intervention of the exible beam 4t.

Formed in the opposed inner surfaces of the sides walls l2 and I3 of the apparatus housing are a pair of longitudinally extending grooves 41-41. lThese grooves respectively receive the opposite side edges of a horizontally shiftable plate 48 which will hereinafter be termed the shift plate of the apparatus. This shift plate 48 is disposed immediately below the transversely extending axis of the blade-supporting pins 2B and 28, one surface of this shift plate being provided with a honing stone 49 and the opposite surface with a strop 50 of leather or other suitable stropping material. The honing and stropping surfaces thus respectively disposed on opposite sides of the shift plate 48 are of coincident outline and are disposed in horizontal planes spaced equally from either side of the shift plate, the widths of the honing and stropping surfaces being somewhat greater than the length of the blade edge to be sharpened. Formed upon one side of the shift plate 49 and extending lengthwise thereof are a pair of oppositely projecting rail elements 5| and 52, these rail elements being disposed in a common vertical plane and being respectively adapted to engage the roller elements 43-43 of the actuating bar 42 to cause the latter to shift about its central pivot 39. These rail elements 5| and 52 extend only partially along the full length of the shift pla-te 48, their opposite ends terminating short of the corresponding ends of the honing and stropping surfaces.

It will be apparent that when the shift plate iS slidably disposed within the guide channels or grooves l1-41 with its honing surface 49 uppermost, the actuating rail 52 thereof Will engage the roller element 43 at one end of the actuating bar 42, while when the shift plate is slidably received within the grooves 41-41 with its stropping surface 5|] uppermost, the rail 5| will operatively 5 engage the roller element 43 at the opposite end of the actuating bar 42. The shift plate is preferably provided at one end thereof with a finger receiving hole 53 for facilitating its reciprocation in the horizontal plane of its guide channels or grooves 4l, it being apparent that said shift plate is reversible top surface for bottom surface by the simple expedient of withdrawing it completely from said guide 4channels and then reinserting it in its reverse condition.

For proper sharpening of the blade, the cutting edge thereof is first hinged upon the honing sur- 'face 49 and then stropped upon the stropping surface 5U. The operation for honing the blade is exactly the same as that for stropping it, it being merely necessary in the apparatus of the present invention to remove the shift plate 48 from its guide channels 41-41 and then reinsert it with that one of its surfaces uppermost which it is desired to employ. rhus, assuming that it is desired to first hone the blade A, it will be assumed for purposes of describing the operation of the mechanism that the shift plate 48 is disposed with its honing surface 49 uppermost, as shown in Figures 6 to 18, inclusive. In honing the blade, the edge thereof is presented against the direction of travel of the honing surface, as illustrated in Figure 18, while for stropping, the blade is presented in the same direction as that in which the stropping surface is shifted, as shown in Figure 19.

As the shift plate 48 is moved from left to right in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 6, the leading end of the rail 52 will engage the roller element 43 at one end of the actuating bar 42 and will cause the latter to shift from its normal centered position, extending transversely across the path of movement of the shift plate, into the angularly related position shown in Figure 7. As the actuating bar 42 shifts into this angularly adjusted position, it causes the segmental gear plate 29 to correspondingly shift through the intervention of the resilient beam 48 acting on one of the beams 38 of said plate, and this shift of the segmental gear plate in turn causes the meshed gears 23 and 24 to rotate in such direction as to present the edge of the blade A in engagement with the honing surface, as shown in Figure 7. Continued shift of the plate 48 from left to right results in the rail 52 continuing past the .sf

roller element 4t, which it engages, as shown most clearly in Figures 8 and 10, thereby maintaining the actuating arm 42 in its angularly related position shown with the result that the blade edge is likewise maintained in contact with the honing surface for as long as the roller element 43 is in engagement with the rail 52. In order to effectively hone the razor blade, it is, of course, necessary that the cutting edge of the blade should make While the pressure of this contact should be positive at all times, it must not be hard and, accordingly, the present invention includes means for inserting upon the blade a soft or elastic yet sufficiently positive honing pressure to effect the desired results. This is accomplished by means of the resilient beam 40, which gives sufdciently as the shift member 48 is moved relatively to the angularly related actuating bar 42 to insure positive yet elastic honing pressure of the blade against the honing surface.

As the shift member 48 is moved from left to right on its initial honing stroke to the point Where the trailing end of the rail 52 passes beyond the roller element 43, the actuating bar 42 firm contact with the honing surface. m

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swings into its center or neutral position by virtue of the action thereon of the balancing springs 4.5i and 48, with the result that the segmental gear plate 29 is, itself, centered and through the intervention of the meshed gears 23 and 24 causes the blade to lift away from the honing surface and assume a vertically disposed position. Thereafter, as the shift member 4S is drawn from right to left on its return stroke, its rail 52 again engages the same roller element 43 which it had previously engaged to co-ck the bar 42 in the direction opposite from that shown in Figures 7, 8 and 11, that is, into the position shown in Figures 6, 12 and 13. member 48, the end of the rail 52, which had previously constituted the trailing end thereof, becomes the leading end thereof, the operation of the several parts being so reversed that the segmental gear plate 29 shifts into the position shown in Figures 6, 12 and 13 to cause the blade A to resilien-tly engage the honing surface for the return stroke thereof. The blade A thus shifts about its transversely extending supporting aXis to engage the honing surface immediately after the shift member 43 is reversed in its direction of movement, or in other words, almost instantly following completion of its stroke in one direction and commencement of its movement in the opposite direction. For every honing stroke, Whether in one direction or the other, the blade is resiliently held against the honing surface with a sufficiently positive pressure to insure proper and eifective honing.

When it is desired to employ the apparatus for stropping the blade, it is merely necessary to withdraw the shift plate 48 from its guide channels 41-4'! and then reinsert it with its stropping surface 50 uppermost, The rail which then becomes effective to engage the actuating bar 42 is the rail 5I, this rail being then di-sposed on the opposite side of the mechanism for engagement with that roller element 43 which is closest to the toothed gear rack 38. Figures 20 to 26 show the apparatus arranged for operation as a stropper, it being noted that the operation as such is identical with its operation as a honer, except for the fact that the blade shifts so that its cutting edge presents itself in the direction of travel of the stropping surface during the operating stroke thereof. Thus, in Figure 20, which shows the stropper at the limit of its movement from left to right, the trailing edge of the rail 5l thereof has just passed beyond the effective roller 43 of the actuating bar 42 so that the latter is now free to assume its normal center or neutral position. In its cocked position, as shown in Figure 20, the actuating bar 42, through the inter- Vention of the segmental gear plate 29 and the meshing gears 23 and 24 maintains the blade A in stropping Contact with the stropping surface 5B. On its return stroke from right to left, as shown in Figures 21 and 22, the actuating bar 42 is reversely cocked, as shown, to rotate the blade A from its original position in Figure 20 into its position shown in Figures 21 and 22, stropping contact being maintained with the stropping surface throughout the full length of the stroke through the elastic pressure exerted by the resilient beam 4i) against the leading pin 38 of the segmental gear plate 29. As in the case of the honing operation, the blade is reversed in its position at the end of each stroke of the shift plate 48 automatically upon commencement of movement of said member upon its return stroke, each reversal of the blade in- In this reverse stroke of the shift V'olving a rotation thereof about its supporting axis through an angle of somewhat more than 180 degrees. Because of the fact that the segmental gear plate is loosely coupled to the resilient beam dii, oscillatory movement of the latter imparts an elastic yet positive pressure upon the segmental gear plate to effect in turn rotation of the gear 2d in the direction requisite to move the edge of the blade into Contact with the surface of the stropper or honer, as the case may be, and maintain it resiliently in contact with such surface for the full effective length of each stroke thereof.

If desired, the side wall of the apparatus in which are mounted the gears 23 and 24 may be provided with drawer spaces extending longitudinally to either side of the central gear recess 22 and these spaces may be fitted with pull-out drawers ld-'M (see Figures l and 5) for storing extra blades and other accessories.

It will be understood, of course, that the invention is susceptible of various changes and modifications which be made from time to time without departing from the real spirit or general principles thereof and it is intended to claim the same broadly.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

l. In a razor sharpening aratus, in combination, a stationary base having a pair of laterally spaced, parallel tracks, a shift plate mounted for reciprocable movement in a horizontal plane along said tracks, shift plate being provided upon opposite faces thereof with stropping and honing surfaces and being re creible to present either of said surfaces uppermost for reciprocation in the same horizontal plane, an oscillatable support for a blade to be sharpened, means interposed between said blade support and said shift plate for effecting relative movement between the blade cutting edge and said shift plate while one surface of the blade is in contact with said uppermost surface of the shift plate, and means for reversing said relative movement to present the opposite face of the razor blade in contact with said uppermost surface of the shift plate.

2. In a razor sharpening apparatus, in combination, a stationary base having a pair of laterally spaced, parallel tracks, a shift plate mounted for reciprocable movement in a horizontal plane along said tracks, said shift plate being provided upon opposite faces thereof with stropping and honing surfaces and being reversible to present either of said -surfaces uppermost for reciprocation in the same horizontal plane, means for supporting a razor blade to be sharpened in either stropping or honing position, and mechanism operative upon movement of the shift plate in either direction to automatically press the edge of the razor blade into contact with said uppermost surface of the shift plate to strop or hone the same depending upon which surface is uppermost, said mechanism including spring biasing means operative to resiliently press said blade edge into contact with the surface of the shift plate in use.

3. In a razor sharpeningapparatus, in combination, a stationary ba-se having a pair of laterally spaced, parallel tracks, a shift plate mounted for reciprocable movement in a horizontal plane along said tracks, said shift plate being provided upon opposite faces thereof with stropping and honing surfaces and being reversible to selectively present either of said surfaces uppermost for recprocation in the same horizontal plane,

an oscillatable-support for a blade to be sharpened, means interposed between said blade support and said shift plate for effecting relative movement between said shift plate and the blade to be sharpened and for resiliently pressing one face of the cutting edge of the blade against the selected surface of the reciprocable shift plate during movement thereof in one direction, and means for automatically releasing the pressure between the blade and the selected surface at the end of each stroke of the shift plate and for reversing the position of the blade with respect to said selected surface whereby to resiliently press the opposite face of said cutting edge of the blade against the selected surface of the shift plate during movement thereof in the opposite direction.

fi. In a razor sharpening apparatus, in combination, a stationary base having a pair of laterally spaced, parallel tracks, a shift plate mounted for reciprocable movement in a horizontal plane along said tracks, said shift plate being provided upon opposite faces thereof with stropping honing surfaces and -being reversto selectively present either of said surfaces rppermcst for reciprocation in the same horizontal plane, means for supporting a razor blade to be sharpened for oscillation about an axis extending transversely across the reciprocating path of movement of said shift plate, means interposed between said blade support and said shift plate for effecting relative movement between said shift plate and said blade and for resiliently pressing one face of the cutting edge of the blade against the selected surface of the reciprocable shift plate during movement thereof in one direction, means for positionally reversing said blade with respect to said selected surface whereby to resiliently press the opposite face of the vblade cutting edge against said selected surface during movement of the shift plate in the opposite direction, said last-mentioned means for effecting such positional reversement of the blade by oscillation of the blade about the transverse aforesaid being operative automatically upon reversing the direction of movement of the shift plate at the end of its stroke in either direction.

5. In a razor sharpening apparatus, in combination, a stationary base having a pair of laterally spaced, parallel tracks, a shift plate mounted for reciprocable movement in a horizontal plane along said trecho, said shift plate being provided 'con opposite faces thereof with stropping and honing surfaces and being reversible to selectively present either of said surfaces uppermost for reciprocal/ion .in the same horizontal plane, means for supporting a razor blade to be sharpened for oscillation about an axis extending transversely across the reciprocating path of movement of shift plate, means interposedbetween said blade support and said t plate for effecting relative movement .between said shift plate and said blade and for resiliently pressing one face of the cutting edge of the blade against the selected surface of the reciprocable shift plate during movement thereof in one direction, means for positionally reversing said blade with respect to said selected surface whereby to resiliently press the opposite face of the blade cutting edge against said selected surface during movement of the shift plate in the opposite direction, said last-mentioned means for effecting such positional reversement of the blade by oscillation of the blade about the transverse axis aforesaid being operative automatically 2,471,355 9 10 I upon reversing the direction of movement of the REFERENCES CITED 4 shift plate at the end of its stroke in either direc- The following references are of record in th tion, said several means aforesaid being so conle 'of this patnnt. jointly operative that upon reversal of said shift plate to selectively present one or the other of 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS said strapping and honing surfaces in position for Number Name Date reciprocation in the horizontal plane aforesaid 1 392 701 Perkins Oct 4 1921 the direction of blade oscillation is also reversed 1598147 Mickelsen :Aug 31' 1926 to present its edge against the direction of move- 9551759 Murrin pn 24, 1934 nient of the shift plate during the honing opera- 10 tion and in the direction of movement of the shift plate during the stropping operation.

CHARLES ROMANO. FREDERICK SCHMID. 

